This season is summer and the scent of summer is the beach. Nothing else really smells like the beach. Driving over the bridge to the beach, we roll down the windows and the mingled smells of briny salt water, vegetation in the muck and marshes along the Intracoastal Waterway, and teaming marine life are carried to us by the ever-present offshore breeze. The smells of sunscreen, clean towels, fried fish, and fresh boiled shrimp are also quintessential smells of any summer season at the beach.

She held her breath. It felt like the right thing to do at the time. Her weight was melting away, slowly at first but more and more quickly as the seconds passed. Soon, her heals lifted from the carpet. Her toes stuck to the floor for a moment and then they too let go. Continue reading →